For mobile networks a migration towards an IP transport is considered e.g. for reducing expenditures for operation and deployment. However, for short packets the overhead can fairly exceeded the data payload. In order to minimize the overhead and to optimize the transport resources, multiplexing of small data packets, i.e. small packet data units (PDUs) into a single IP packet has been proposed (e.g. third generation partnership project (3GPP) documents TR 29.814 V7.1.0. (2007 June) and 3GPP TS 29.414 V8.2.0 (2008 December)) using PDU multiplexing negotiation via lu user plane protocol or via Real time Transport Control Protocol (RTCP protocol) for the Nb interface.
The known solutions offer the advantage that multiplexing negotiation is allowed to be performed in-band, i.e. the involved entities, e.g. a media gateway (MGW), are directly informed of when and how the multiplexing feature is activated. Herein a MGW cooperates with the MGCF (Media Gateway Control Function) in order to support e.g. working between IP based transport networks and the circuit switched PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) or PLMN (Public Land Mobile Network) domains. The MGW will translate media arriving within a TDM based timeslot to an RTP (Real time Transport Protocol) stream or vice versa.
In view of the above-described situation, there still exists a need for an improved technique that enables to efficiently negotiate optimization techniques to be used in communication between two network nodes of a mobile network.